Demand for private counselling soars due to long NHS waiting lists

Since 2016, the number of people booking private counselling sessions has increased by 65%, and over three-quarters of patients revealed that they went private because NHS waiting lists are too long.

The survey from online services marketplace Bark.com shows that 77% of people who booked in with a private counsellor did so because they didn’t want to be stuck on a long waiting list, while 30% of those polled said that they didn’t trust the service the NHS provides.

Only 17% said that they always book health services privately, meaning that the remaining 83% would probably have chosen the NHS if they felt more confident in the service they’d be receiving.

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We are an independent pressure group that campaigns to protect and improve the NHS, keeping it true to its founding principles.

We are a voluntary organisation, not allied to any political party and funded by supporters from the health professions and the general public. We have been campaigning in support of the NHS since 1989.

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